7. IN THE MILITARY. Draft registration cards from World War I and World War II can be brimming with family details, including hometown, occupation, and name of nearest kin. For earlier arrivals to the U.S., Civil War-era records, pensions, muster rolls, the 1890 Veterans Schedule census, enlistments, and others may be even more revealing.
Ireland
10 Places to Find Your Irish Ancestors in America
Ireland
10 Places to Find Your Irish Ancestors in America
1. AT HOME. Search attics for mementos including wedding announcements, postcards, and letters sent from Ireland, any of which could give you names of relatives and addresses that could point you to a hometown in Ireland.
2. IN THE CENSUS. Check birthplaces listed on census records. You may discover that the ancestor you thought was your family’s first immigrant was actually the immigrant’s child, cousin, or in-law. Begin with 20th century records and search for the whole family—parents, siblings, or grandparents and look for the year of immigration in those same records. Can’t find the person you’re looking for? Keep working backwards and follow siblings as well. One of them may lead you directly to your ancestor.
3. WITH FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. Ever notice how many people on a single page of a census seem to be born in the same country? It could be the result of kin-network migrations. Often a single immigrant would arrive in the United States, land a job, and send word of opportunity back home. Soon more family and friends would immigrate and send for their family and friends. For researchers, these ethnic enclaves can provide all manner of clues: maiden names, hometowns, extended family lines. Do a little digging and also check Member Connect to see who’s researching the neighbors. They may have some details you’re looking for, too.
4. ABOARD A SHIP OR CROSSING A BORDER. Irish immigration to the United States peaked around the time of the Great Famine; unfortunately, at that time passenger lists were notoriously stingy with details. However, those mid 19th-century lists contain the names of other passengers, who may have been your ancestors’ friends or relatives and who may have had a knack for record keeping. Snoop around their family lines, see where they went and if their paths crossed your ancestor’s again. If you can’t find a passenger list for your ancestor, consider that at times it was cheaper and simpler to travel to the United States via Canada. Your Irish ancestor may have crossed the border immediately or even a generation or two later.
5. IN CHURCH. Baptisms, weddings, funerals, and other events took place in churches. Use census records and city directories to find your ancestor’s address, then search for surviving churches near the family home. Contact the church to inquire about records created when your ancestor lived in the neighborhood. Also call the local library, which may know of other resources you haven’t yet considered.
6. ON A DOCKET. Court records aren’t just for the criminally inclined (although those records are full of detail you won’t find elsewhere). In the Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills collection at Ancestry®, you’ll also discover real estate transactions, small business dealings, records from the emigrant savings bank, probates, and more. Search for all members of the family, read records carefully and check to see if the names of witnesses sound familiar, too. They may also be family.
7. IN THE MILITARY. Draft registration cards from World War I and World War II can be brimming with family details, including hometown, occupation, and name of nearest kin. For earlier arrivals to the U.S., Civil War-era records, pensions, muster rolls, the 1890 Veterans Schedule census, enlistments, and others may be even more revealing.
8. BETWEEN THE LINES. Family stories may not always be entirely accurate, but they’re often full of names, places, and relationships and can help you figure out when your ancestor was where. Use them to build a timeline that you populate with details from the records you find. And enjoy the tales, which give you a better idea of the characters in your family tree.
9. MAKING HEADLINES. A graduation, an engagement, or even a visitor from out of town—any of these might have been big news at the time. Look in local newspapers for daily comings and goings as well as bigger events. And if your family is full of city dwellers, ask the local library if there were smaller neighborhood or Irish-specific publications.
10. AT THE CEMETERY. A simple tombstone may show the birthplace or middle name you’ve been trying to locate for years. The one next to it could offer an elusive maiden name. Families often stayed together, even in death, so a trip to the cemetery could introduce you to distant family lines you may not have heard of and other details your ancestor surely wanted you to know.
8. BETWEEN THE LINES. Family stories may not always be entirely accurate, but they’re often full of names, places, and relationships and can help you figure out when your ancestor was where. Use them to build a timeline that you populate with details from the records you find. And enjoy the tales, which give you a better idea of the characters in your family tree.
9. MAKING HEADLINES. A graduation, an engagement, or even a visitor from out of town—any of these might have been big news at the time. Look in local newspapers for daily comings and goings as well as bigger events. And if your family is full of city dwellers, ask the local library if there were smaller neighborhood or Irish-specific publications.
10. AT THE CEMETERY. A simple tombstone may show the birthplace or middle name you’ve been trying to locate for years. The one next to it could offer an elusive maiden name. Families often stayed together, even in death, so a trip to the cemetery could introduce you to distant family lines you may not have heard of and other details your ancestor surely wanted you to know.
Video
Irish History Overview
Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.
Story
The Meaning of the Irish Flag
Video
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.
Video
Irish History Overview
Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.
Story
The Meaning of the Irish Flag
Video
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.
Article
Tips for Finding Irish Records
Story
The Legacy of the O'Neills
Courtesy of TOTA.
Video
All About the Irish Language
Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.